Running a small business is like managing a never-ending to-do list—there's always something needing your attention. And, when it comes to small business accounting and bookkeeping, things can get a little chaotic. Don't worry. That's where AI tools come in! 😉
Today, we're comparing three top AI bookkeeping tools—Pilot, Bookeeping.ai, and Kick.co—to see how they handle the financial heavy lifting. Let's break it down and find out which makes managing your books easy as pie.
1. Automated Categorization
Organizing transactions is crucial for accurate bookkeeping.
- Pilot: ✅ Yes — Simplifies categorization but relies on human oversight for accuracy.
- Bookeeping.ai: ✅ Yes — Automated bookkeeping transaction categorization using advanced AI, saving time.
- Kick.co: ✅ Yes — Offers basic automation, suitable for smaller datasets.
🏆 All three tools excel in automating categorization, saving time, and reducing errors.
2. Chatting with Your Books
- Pilot: ❌ No — Does not include conversational AI for financial data.
- Bookeeping.ai: ✅ Yes — Chat with your data to generate insights instantly and ask specific financial questions. You can ask AI Paula for information, analysis, and more, just like a 24/7 available bookkeeper.
- Kick.co: ❌ No — Focuses on traditional reporting without conversational tools.
🏆 Winner: Bookeeping.ai. It offers a unique feature where users can interact with financial data using Paula AI assistant. This bookkeeping software allows quick insights and answers to specific questions—an invaluable tool for real-time decision-making.
Pro tip: If you want to add your CPA, bookeeping.ai offers CPA onboarding in case you want to add your in-house or trustable accounting partner.
3. AI Audit Trail
Transparent change tracking is essential for compliance and error detection.
- Pilot: ❌ No — Lacks an automated audit feature but offers manual review options.
- Bookeeping.ai: ✅ Yes — Provides an AI audit log for easy tracking and accountability.
- Kick.co: ❌ No — No built-in audit trail functionality.
🏆 Winner: Bookeeping.ai for its proactive and user-friendly audit functionality, as every change is logged automatically.
Read more about Bookkeeping for Saas here.
4. Real-Time Reporting
Generating reports like Profit & Loss statements and balance sheets helps businesses stay informed.
- Pilot: ✅ Yes — Provides reliable financial statements, including detailed Profit & Loss reports.
- Bookeeping.ai: ✅ Yes — Automatically generates real-time reports with minimal input.
- Kick.co: ✅ Yes — Includes basic reporting features, suitable for startups and small teams.
🏆 Winner: Bookeeping.ai for real-time financial updates.
5. Data Import Flexibility
The ability to integrate existing financial data simplifies onboarding.
- Pilot: ✅ Yes — Allows integration through QuickBooks and CSV imports.
- Bookeeping.ai: ✅ Yes — Flexible imports via Plaid, CSV uploads, or QuickBooks Online files.
- Kick.co: ✅ Yes — Basic import options, ideal for smaller datasets.
🏆 Winner: Pilot offers the widest range of bookkeeping platforms and tools to import and integrate.
6. Team and Collaboration Features
- Pilot: ✅ Yes — Allows quick communication with a dedicated bookkeeping team through its portal.
- Bookeeping.ai: ✅ Yes — Offers team collaboration with custom permissions and the ability to invite external tax professionals.
- Kick.co: ✅ Yes — Includes unlimited team members in its plans, making it flexible for larger teams.
🏆 Winner: Tie between Kick.co for team size flexibility and Bookeeping.ai for inviting external accountants.
7. Customer Support
- Pilot: ✅ Yes — Provides expert support with dedicated teams but lacks an AI assistant.
- Bookeeping.ai: ✅ Yes — Offers the AI assistant "Paula" for instant help and insights, along with including outstanding human customer support during business hours.
- Kick.co: ✅ Yes — Features basic to priority support, depending on the plan.
🏆 Winner: Bookeeping.ai for combining AI assistance with outstanding and dedicated traditional support.
9. AI Receipt Match
Matching receipts to transactions is essential for business accuracy.
- Pilot: ✅ Yes — Receipt matching is available but you need to do manual uploads and review each receipt.
- Bookeeping.ai: ✅ Yes — Uses AI to automatically match receipts to transactions with high accuracy, reducing human errors.
- Kick.co: ✅ Yes — Basic receipt matching, works best for small transactions and fewer receipts.
🏆 Winner: Bookeeping.ai for its automatic AI Receipt Match that can also be used on mobile for a more comfortable experience.
10. Additional Features
Here's a quick overview of other features offered by these tools:
- Pilot:
- Reliable reporting
- Tax filing services
- CFO support
- Bookeeping.ai:
- AI-powered reconciliation
- Duplicate detection
- AI document assistant
- Kick.co:
- Deduction optimization
- CPA onboarding
- Dedicated support
Feature Comparison Chart
Choosing the right bookkeeping software for a startup depends on your specific needs. If you value innovative features like "Chat with Your Books" and AI Audit Trail, Bookeeping.ai is a standout choice. Get started with the free trial here.
Bookeeping.ai is soon to launch AI Tax Form Filing. Bookkeeping.ai's Paula will automatically detect contractors and pre-fill the necessary forms for the United States and Canada, like 1099, W-BEN, or T4, to send them to users for approval.
For scalable support and additional services, Pilot shines. Meanwhile, Kick.co offers a friendly entry point with solid features. Whatever your choice, these platforms will take over bookkeeping tasks to help you grow your business.
